Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||||||||
 | |||||||||||
| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Owner | Panama City-Bay County Airport and Industrial District | ||||||||||
| Serves | |||||||||||
| Location | Bay County,Florida,U.S. | ||||||||||
| Opened | May 23, 2010; 15 years ago (2010-05-23) | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 69 ft / 21 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 30°21′30″N085°47′44″W / 30.35833°N 85.79556°W /30.35833; -85.79556 | ||||||||||
| Website | www | ||||||||||
| Maps | |||||||||||
 FAA airport diagram | |||||||||||
 Interactive map of Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| Statistics (2024) | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| Source:Federal Aviation Administration[2][3] | |||||||||||
Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport (IATA:ECP,ICAO:KECP,FAALID:ECP) is a public airport 18 miles (29 km) northwest ofPanama City,Florida, United States,[2] inBay County.[2] The airport is owned by the Panama City-Bay County Airport & Industrial District,[2] and is north ofPanama City Beach, near West Bay. It replacedPanama City–Bay County International Airport (Fannin Field, PFN), which was located inPanama City.
The airport opened for commercial flights on May 23, 2010, and is the first international airport in the United States designed and built since theSeptember 11 attacks. The airport currently has no scheduled international flights, due to the small population in the surrounding areas and the fact that the demand for visitation to Panama City is mostly regional and/or national. The airport authority originally decided to name it Northwest Florida–Panama City International Airport, but airlines and the general public asked the airport authority to use a more regional name.[4][5]
In the late 1980s, the Panama City-Bay County Airport and Industrial District (Airport Authority) started discussing the need to expand the airport's two runways, which did not meet federal standards due to insufficient runway safety areas. Growing the overall airport to meet the region's needs was another main objective.[6]
The old airport had been built in 1932, with scheduled service beginning in 1948. However, it did not have enough room to expand. Proposed ideas included using the current airport property and extending the current short runways intoSt. Andrews Bay or into residential neighborhoods, relocation of the airport to a new site, or collocation withTyndall AFB. With strong opposition to extending the runways into an environmentally sensitive bay or into neighborhoods, the airport authority began to search for relocation sites. The authority received tentative approval to build a new airport in northwesternBay County in 2001. In 2005–2007 the authority obtained the needed permits.[7]
The relocation of the airport was controversial in Bay County.[8] The county commission chose to proceed with building a new airport and closing down Fannin Field despite a majority of voters in a non-binding 2004 referendum voting against the plan. Some felt that theSt. Joe Company, which owned the land the airport would be based on, would derive an unfair benefit at the taxpayers' expense. Suits were filed against the airport on environmental grounds but were not successful in halting its construction.[9] Construction was completed in May 2010, however the plannedcrosswindrunway was not built. As of January 2024 construction of the airportterminal has begun to extend the terminal south adding a secondbaggage claim. News has also been released stating the originally plannedcrosswind runway's construction will begin in late 2024 to early 2025[needs update] expected to accept passengers by June 2025. The new crosswind runway will span a total of 10,000 feet and will allow airlines and general aviation pilots to land during heavy crosswinds more comfortably.
The airport originally sought to use TFB as itsIATA code, for "The Florida Beaches".[citation needed] However, this code was already taken by the Tifalmin Airport inPapua New Guinea.[10] The code ECP was chosen instead, which officially stands for Emerald Coast of the Panhandle.[citation needed] The phrase "Everyone Can Party" was jokingly applied to the code.[11]
The airport covers 4,000 acres (1,600 hectares) at an elevation of 68 feet (21 m).[2][12]
The airport is inunincorporatedBay County, Florida.[13]
Runway 16/34 is the onlyrunway at the airport. It is concrete/grooved and is 10,000 feet (3,000 meters) long and 150 feet (46 meters) wide. There are plans to build one crosswind and one parallel runway as traffic at the airport increases.
The elevation for Runway 16 is 68.6 feet (20.9 m). The runway has a 4-aligned PAPI light system (glideslope: 2.83°), a MALSR approach lighting system, centerline lights, and touchdown zone lights. The runway has an instrument approach which includes S-ILS or LOC/DME, and GPS RNAV. For general aviation aircraft, the runway uses left traffic pattern.
The opposite end of Runway 16, the elevation for Runway 34 is 53.7 feet (16.4 meters). This runway has a 4-aligned PAPI light system (glideslope: 2.83°) and centerline lights. This runway has a GPS RNAV or LOC/DME instrument approach. For general aviation aircraft, the runway uses left traffic pattern.
The new airport has a much larger terminal, designed byHNTB,[14] compared to the terminal at the previous airport. The terminal, 105,000 sq. feet, has seven gates. Gates 1–5 have jet bridges, while Gates 6 and 7 are on ramp level for regional aircraft. The airport has aUS Customs and Border Protection inspection facility for arriving international flights. No internationalAirline flight has ever departed or arrived at KECP. It was anticipated that the new terminal building will be the first airport terminal to attain aLEED rating for being a green building as well. As of June 2024, it has yet to receive this. A new terminal building atAppleton International Airport has since become the first LEED-rated terminal building in the world.
As of 2023, the airport has a $14.7 million renovation in the works to pave an overflow parking lot, build out the terminal, and expand the baggage area.[15]
General aviation is handled at the general aviation facility south of the main passenger terminal. As of 2012, 75% of based aircraft belonged to corporations. About 75% of GA operations were business/corporate related, 65% of which were business jets.The onlyFixed-Base Operator (FBO) at the airport as of August 2011 wasSheltAir. Precision Flight Training and Patriot Flight Academy offer flight training. Patriot Pilot Academy is currently the only flight training at ECP offering multi engine and commercial certifications; it is also a Part 141 school certified through the FAA offering finance options and college-like classes for flight school.
As of April 2024,Alabama-basedSouthern Sky Aviation has opened a state of the artFBO just south of thePublic Safety building.Southern Sky Aviation hosts aPart 145Aircraft repair station withAvionics installation and interior work as well. They also offerAircraft maintenance and sales.[15]
The air cargo facility is between the control tower and general aviation ramp. Flight Express is the primary air cargo service to KECP.
In the 12-month period ending February 28, 2022, the airport had 80,665 aircraft operations, average 221 per day: 55%general aviation, 24%commercial, 13%air taxi, and 9%military.[2] For the same time period, 111aircraft were based at the airport: 76 single-engine and 8 multi-engineairplanes as well as 26jets and 1glider.[16] These stats are up from 67,121 aircraft operations in 2018.
Ground transportation to and from the airport includes on-airport car rental, taxis, shuttles, and limousines.[17]
Southwest Airlines began service in May 2010 with eight dailyBoeing 737 flights: two each toBaltimore-Washington (BWI),Houston–Hobby (HOU),Nashville (BNA), andOrlando (MCO).[18]Southwest then started daily seasonal nonstop service toSt. Louis (STL) on June 3, 2012.
In March 2016,Delta Air Lines was operating up to six nonstop flights a day toAtlanta (ATL) operated withBoeing 717,McDonnell Douglas MD-88, andMcDonnell Douglas MD-90 jetliners.[19] Delta has also operatedBoeing 737 jets into the airport in the past.Delta Connection had operated regional jet aircraft on their flights to Atlanta but currently does not serve the Atlanta route from the airport. According toFlightAware, Delta currently operatesAirbus A320 andBoeing 717 and according to delta.com;Boeing 737-900ER jetliners on its mainline service between the airport and Atlanta.[20]
United utilizesUnited ExpressMesa Airlines andCommuteAir regional jets on their nonstop flights toGeorge Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH).[21][22] Seasonally, mainline United are operated toO'Hare International Airport andDenver International Airport.
On January 18, 2018, Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport announced the beginning ofAmerican Airlines nonstop flights toCharlotte Douglas (CLT) andDallas/Fort Worth (DFW), which commenced on June 7, 2018. There are two flights per day to both destinations operated by American Eagle regional carriersPSA Airlines andMesa Airlines, respectively with regional jets.[23]
The airport had its two busiest years on record in 2021 and 2022, respectively. Airport officials peg the increases on the uptick in traffic caused by the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. The airport processed nearly 1.6 million passengers in 2021, up from 1.35 million in 2019, and just over 1.5 million in 2021.[15][24][25]
Scheduled nonstop passenger flights include:
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| American Airlines | Seasonal:Charlotte,Dallas/Fort Worth |
| American Eagle | Charlotte,Dallas/Fort Worth Seasonal:Chicago–O'Hare,Philadelphia,Washington–National |
| Delta Air Lines | Atlanta |
| Delta Connection | Austin[26] Seasonal:New York–LaGuardia[27] |
| Southwest Airlines | Austin,Dallas–Love,Houston–Hobby,Nashville Seasonal:Baltimore,Chicago–Midway,Chicago–O'Hare (begins April 9, 2026),[28]Columbus–Glenn (begins March 7, 2026),[29]Denver,Indianapolis,Kansas City,St. Louis[30] |
| United Airlines | Seasonal:Chicago-O'Hare,Denver |
| United Express | Houston–Intercontinental Seasonal:Chicago–O'Hare,Denver |
| Destinations map |
|---|
  ECP Destinations from Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport Red = Year-round destination Green = Seasonal destination Blue = Future destination Pink = Destination being terminated |
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Flight Express | Birmingham (AL) |
| Key Lime Air | Albany (GA) |
| Martinaire | Albany (GA) |
| Year | Passengers | % Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 869,389 | — |
| 2012 | 883,592 |  1.63% |
| 2013 | 816,478 |  7.60% |
| 2014 | 815,160 | 0.16% |
| 2015 | 890,764 | 9.27% |
| 2016 | 897,679 | 0.77% |
| 2017 | 939,437 | 4.65% |
| 2018 | 1,056,101 | 12.42% |
| 2019 | 1,275,488 | 20.77% |
| 2020 | 822,236 | 35.54% |
| 2021 | 1,598,492 | 94.41% |
| 2022 | 1,520,783 | 4.86% |
| 2023 | 1,660,479 | 9.19% |
| 2024 | 1,878,945 | 13.16% |
| Carrier | Passengers (arriving and departing) |
|---|---|
| Southwest | 733,000(39.38%) |
| Delta | 548,000(29.45%) |
| PSA | 159,000(8.53%) |
| American | 121,000(6.49%) |
| Envoy | 89,830(4.83%) |
| Other | 211,000(11.32%) |
| Rank | Airport | Passengers | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Atlanta, GA | 273,830 | Delta |
| 2 |  Nashville, TN | 128,040 | Southwest |
| 3 |  Dallas/Fort Worth, TX | 89,110 | American |
| 4 |  Charlotte, NC | 79,250 | American |
| 5 | Dallas–Love, TX | 76,700 | Southwest |
| 6 | Houston–Intercontinental, TX | 63,970 | United |
| 7 | Houston-Hobby, TX | 39,880 | Southwest |
| 8 |  St. Louis, MO | 36,580 | Southwest |
| 9 | Austin, TX | 30,900 | Delta, Southwest |
| 10 |  Denver, CO | 25,910 | Southwest, United |
Northwest Florida Beaches International Arprt
